Teach us to realize the brevity of life, so that we may grow in wisdom.
Written by Kristine Scherer
This was my very first verse of January 2022 and it made me choose my word: wisdom.
I looked up the definition of both brevity and wisdom. Brevity is shortness/conciseness of time. The definition of wisdom is the quality of having experience, knowledge and good judgment and the quality of being wise.
As I read this verse I knew that I wanted to dive deeper into my faith. I wanted more than just a surface level relationship with the Lord. I wanted something deeper. I wanted more wisdom in what the Holy Spirit wanted for every part of life. I wanted to learn QUALITY in my purpose with the Holy Spirit IN me so I could grow to be more of what he needed me to be, what he created me to be for my community, my family, and my friends.
The reality of the word brevity in this verse hit me right in the face! I thought to myself, what am I waiting for? Lord, teach me to realize the SHORTNESS OF LIFE so that I may grow in wisdom. The time is now to dive deeper, and grow closer to my creator and see what amazing things he has in store.
At that point I decided it wasn’t just about my heart and faith, it was about all of it, my physical being and health too. If I was going to get wise, it was going to be all or nothing. So I started reading the Bible daily with a friend. I started reading devotions more intentionally every morning and journaling , and in February, I started a health journey.
I struggled with a back issue for most of the year, that made my work, my marriage, my free time – everything – hard. But in my search for wisdom I asked God to show me what I was missing. What did He want me to learn through this pain I was experiencing? God used that struggle to show me that I often placed my friendships, my marriage and my work in front of my relationship with Him. It was time to set that right so that I could be exactly who God created me to be.
God did bring healing to my back and loving God and only worrying about His plan and His desires for me and my walk, became my focus. I trusted His plan for me – hard or not. My wisdom was strengthening and I could feel my heart and soul becoming more fervent for God’s plan even in the struggle. There was this divine awareness, that’s when I’m closest to Him… and He loves that!!!
My search for wisdom has helped me to become more sure and courageous in my faith. It has taught me not to hold back and to step boldly and fully into the gifts He has given me. I started praying openly over people as the spirit moved me – sometimes in the middle of my salon or over a phone call. I started to feel as if my spiritual gifts were starting to flourish.It was a little scary – but so worth it!
Choosing the word wisdom for 2022 has changed my focus and changed me in just a short 365 days!
